Business News

PayPal has agreed to pay a $7.7 million fine due to its violation of sanctions. The US does not let companies like PayPal effectively do business with citizens of certain countries, but PayPal was facilitating the transfer of money to sanctioned areas.

Some of the larger music labels and musicians are not content with Spotify’s free music streaming option. One of them, Universal, may be pressuring the streaming service to limit and restrict its free tier. Sources close to the label say it has begun pushing for those restrictions during licensing negotiations, but Spotify does have a more »

Sony has set its sights on a $4.2 billion operating profit by 2018. Over the next three years, Sony has plans to change many operations in order to get out of its slump and reach that financial goal. A lengthy turnaround plan has been introduced by Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai that includes spinning off its video-and-sound business.

If you’re an avid gamer, or one who likes to enjoy movies in the quiet comfort of headphones, then 3D Sound Labs has what can be your best unbirthday present ever. Ever. The company has just opened up pre-orders for their NEOH smart 3D headphones on Kickstarter, with deliveries anticipated to commence this summer.

Japan is one of the upcoming markets that will receive Netflix streaming for movies and TV shows. Netflix has announced it will introduce streaming services to the market in the fall. Little was said about the launch in the company’s post about the expansion. Though, Netflix did say it would have a lot of Japanese-specific content available for streaming upon launch.

Changes to Google Glass during its transition from the explorer program to consumer availability were expected, but instead of mere changes, we could see a full redesign. Tony Fadell, the founder of Google-owned Nest, will now lead the Glass division. Fadell has told The New York Times that he wants to start from scratch with the device.

So what do you do after you’ve successfully launched a digital smartpen and don’t want to rest on your laurels? Well, you go bigger and follow up with a digital smartmarker, of course! Luidia, the creator of the Equil Smartpen 2, has just launched the product website and wrapped up the first product presentation at DisruptCRE in Chicago for the Equil Smartmarker.

2015 is definitely starting to look like the year set for colors and styles. If you read the second half of my 2015 CES wrap-up, you’d know that when it comes to personal audio, black is outsold by color options. Now, black will always have a place in my heart and on my tech, but it’s nice to own other gear with some lively pop.

Holophonic sound has been around for some time, but only recently harnessed in a small, portable form. The Theatre Box completed its Kickstarter funding goal only a few months ago, and is now available for new customer orders.

No matter which way you look at it, high resolution audio is making it’s way back. Technology has improved, and consumers, ever-wanting of more, are fueling demands for studio-quality sound in portable form. It’s any wonder why the Pono Player has been a topic of conversation for a year and a big hit at CES 2015.

LG’s smartphone sales increased year-over-year by 25 percent in 2014. The release of the LG G3 and its subsequent success in the smartphone market were responsible for a large portion of the company’s increase in sales. LG is currently the second largest smartphone company in South Korea and sits right behind Samsung.

This project, which just went live last night, is on its way to the record books. The meager goal of $10,000 was completely obliterated as backers fiendishly flocked to the site with their monies. All it took was roughly seven hours for this Kickstarter campaign to raise over one million dollars. Now before you scroll down and peek, consider these kings of crowdfunded projects on Kickstarter.